Barbara Boxer and Senate Dems held “hostage”

Wednesday, Democratic Senators and House Whip Steny Hoyer held a press conference to blame Republicans for the FAA shutdown. Thursday, after the press conference, they announced a deal. This morning, the Senate voted to a pass bill it could have passed in order to avoid the 13-day FAA shutdown.

The press condference was instructive. You can see the Dems expected the media to parrot their recalcitrant-Republican talking point, while ignoring their choice to not pass a temporary extension because it included $16.5 million in cuts to a pork-rich rural airport program.

Instead they were shocked and angered when ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked some pointed questions. You’ve got to watch this video.

Chuck Schumer complained that it is “just not fair and not right” to ask why Senate Dems didn’t just pass the temporary extension, when they have a gun — the removal of pork — to their heads. Now the Senate did just pass a bill today. So apparently the question was fair.

Sen. Barbara Boxer chided Karl for showing “a certain naivete” in not understanding that “this is about government threats.” She also challenged Karl by asking if he had reported on GOP opposition to a vote on a “clean” bill. “Clean” here means no pork cuts.

Boxer seemed to have forgotten that she blocked a vote on the House bill. As Roll Call reported on Aug. 2, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla,

offered his own unanimous consent agreement to pass the House bill, which would then have gone to the president for his signature. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who was pushing to end the partial shutdown, said earlier in the day that he would be willing to accept the House extension.